The Disappearance of Tetsunosuke Ichimura
by Rakuengaki
Summary: Tetsu runs off on some errands for some the Shinsengumi members and disappears. They find him but what has become of their precious little puppy boy?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Peacemaker Kurogane.

_"Hey, Tatsunosuke," called Souji Okita as he poked his head in. "Have you seen Tetsu by any chance?" Tatsunosuke frowned slightly and looked towards the other man. _

_"No. I haven't really seen him since breakfast. Why?" he asked. Souji sighed a bit and looked outside once more. _

_"Mr. Hijikata is looking for him. I heard from Shinpachi that he had gone to get a few things for those that were too busy to get them themselves and he hasn't gotten back yet," Tatsu's frown turned in a small smile as he turned back to his books._

_"I'm sure that he just got distracted by something. He should be back soon," But he wasn't back by nightfall, nor was he back by morning. By the time a week had passed, Tatsu was only able to sleep when someone forced him to. _

_"Tatsu!" Someone called. It was faint at first but it gained volume quickly. "Tatsu! Where are you!" The door suddenly burst open and Tatsu was met with the pale face of Shinpachi, still in his uniform and looking like he had just run a marathon around the village. He had to catch his breath a moment and finally met Tatsu's gaze. _

_"We found Tetsu," the words were meant to be relieving but it only caused a shot of pure fear to run down his spine and yank him up to follow Shinpachi back towards the main gate. His mind was reeling with the possibilities, his heart was pounding in his chest so hard that it almost choked him when it leapt into his throat. The cool night air chilled his skin to the bone and glued his eyes to the men carrying in a tightly wrapped bundle. Mr. Okita's uniform was missing the top blue and white haori and was wrapped around something that one of the other men was carrying. A large tuft of rich red hair poked out from the folds of the haori as did a pale, bruised face when he quickly took the bundle from the man's arms. Pale red lashes lay unmoving on his cheeks, pale lips were parted to let in tiny, sporadic breaths. An ugly green and yellow bruise marred Tetsu's face and blood crusted along the cut on Tetsu's bottom lip. Small ribbons of blood had dried along the right side of Tetsu's face and his hair was matted against his forehead. _

_Tetsu seemed to stir, his head falling back to expose his throat, back arching and rising but it was only one of the men taking him from him. Mr. Okita tugged on his arm and he followed them quickly into the building, nearly shouting when the door to the room Tetsu was taken into was slid shut in his face. Mr. Okita was saying something to him but he didn't hear it. All he could hear was Tetsu's voice laughing at him for something, calling his name, crying. It nearly killed him to be denied the right to see his brother after he had been missing for so long. Where had the boy gone and… why was he so beaten up?_

"Tetsu, wake up please," he whispered softly, watching Tetsu sleep. A doctor had come by last night and patched him up as best as he could, took notes on Tetsu's injuries, prescribed things. None of which he had paid attention to except when Tetsu's injuries were revealed. A broken arm, several cracked ribs, fractured leg, broken fingers, concussion, and a black eye. It could have been worse, so much worse. The breaks in his arm and fingers wouldn't heal badly, according to the doctor, and the fracture in his leg would heal before the ribs as he was going to be staying off of it for the most part. Luckily, they had found him before he could bleed to death from the side wound on his left side. His hair was down for once and spread across the white of the futon, a thick quilt covered his body from the shoulders down and a thick bandage was pressed against his cut forehead. Mr. Hijikata had come in last night and talked quietly with the doctor for a while before leaving. Tatsu had seen the look on Mr. Hijikata's face when he first saw his young page. It still scared him even as he pictured it now. A mixture of rage and what Tatsu thought was concern blended across the older man's face before he finally turned his glare on the doctor who didn't even flinch at the gaze. Obviously the doctor had been called in more then once to attend to the men. Tatsu let out a sigh and carefully gripped Tetsu's none injured hand in his own, squeezing slightly to let the boy know that he was right beside him.

"So," said someone from the door. "He got himself into some sort of trouble again," Yamazaki Susumu said as he took a seat beside Tatsu. Tatsu sighed heavily and nodded.

"Yeah," he said softly. Susumu was silent a moment, watching Tetsu's chest rise and fall with each small, slow breath that he took. A small part of him ached slightly at the sight of the boy's broken body. He was just so hyper and quick, even when scared shitless and trying to fend off people trying to kill him, that it was so unexpected that he'd loose and get hurt this badly. A small groan drew both men from their thoughts and to the boy lying before them. Eyebrows and fingers twitched slightly in a sign of returning consciousness. Lips parted in another faint groan. Red hair scrubbed against the futon to turn towards them and the eyelids flickered back to greet the room with a groggy, confused light brown gaze. Tatsu relaxed slightly and let a smile slip across his face, his hand reaching out to brush the red strands of hair from Tetsu's face. Tetsu's gaze turned to him at the light touch and his finely arched eyebrows drew down in confusion.

"T…tatsu?" he whispered, voice rough and thick with sleep. Tatsu's smile grew, tears pricking at his eyes as he squeezed Tetsu's hand again.

"Yeah. I'm right here, Tetsu," he said, voice just as soft as the red head's. Tetsu blinked slowly and took his hand from Tatsu's grip to rub at the sleep in his eyes. The hand flopped down again onto the futon as he looked around the room, still not coherent enough to realize that he was hurt and bed ridden right then. Susumu remained silent, watching Tetsu and keeping a close watch on his eyes to make sure that they weren't overly cloudy or that he wasn't developing a fever. Tetsu yawned widely and winced. No doubt the deeper yawn had tugged on the boy's injuries.

"Hey, Tatsu?" Tetsu asked, voice clearing of sleep the longer he was awake.

"Yeah?"

"Why does… my head hurt so much?" The question was what he would have expected but it still surprised him. How would he explain that Tetsu was unable to get up and move around because someone had attacked him?

"You fell off the roof like the damn fool you are," Susumu answered smoothly. Tetsu frowned, clearly not remembering it but shrugged it off as something blocked due to the head wound. Tetsu yawned again, wincing of course too and settled back into sleep. It disturbed Tatsu to no end that he was awake for no more then five minutes before falling asleep again. He watched him sleep, not moving and took Tetsu's hand up again. Tetsu's fingers, frighteningly cool to the touch, curled softly around his own, as if sensing him in his sleep. It lifted a slight weight from Tatsu's heart to feel that though he wished that Tetsu's hands were warmer, like they always had been. Mother's had been warm, always so warm on the coldest winter day and Tetsu had apparently inherited her warm hands. But now they were so cool compared to his. A hand was placed on Tetsu's forehead, Susumu's hand, and pulled away after a few seconds.

"He's not catchin' a fever," Susumu said, soothing one of Tatsu's fears. Susumu, like the doctor that he was in training to be, checked over each of Tetsu's wounds carefully, replacing bandages where they were needed, rubbing an herbal ointment on them meant to numb the area and prevent infection and checking his pulse and respiration. Tetsu's forehead creased into a frown as he shied away from Susumu's gentle examination of his cracked ribs.

"….tickles," he muttered, squirming away again.

"Keep still for a little while longer," Tatsu said soothingly, pressing a gentle hand against Tetsu's stomach to calm him. The nickname "puppy boy" was fairly accurate in one sense. Tetsu, when upset or feeling ill, would always calm down and fall asleep whenever he, his father, or mother rubbed his stomach or pressed their hands against it. It was rather strange but then again, practically everything about his little brother was strange. Must've been their father's influence and their upbringing. True to his prediction, Tetsu calmed immediately and stayed still for the rest of the examination, eyes opening into little slits when Susumu's hands had pulled away.

"Do you want anything, Tetsu?" Tatsu asked, pulling the collar up on the boy's sleeping kimono. Tetsu swallowed thickly for a moment, taking a few more to think, much longer then usual before nodding faintly.

"Some water," he said and coughed. The coughing didn't stop there though and continued for several painful minutes, Tetsu finally settling down again, pain crossing his features as he breathed. Tatsu's hand was now on the boy's chest, trying to ease the pain from the coughing. His breath rattled in his throat and chest, causing Susumu to quickly leave with the intent of getting water. Tatsu moved around and lifted Tetsu's body to rest against one of his legs, fingers stroking through the boy's long, unruly hair. Tetsu tired to curl around him, sensing his brother's presence but stopped when pain lanced through him. Tatsu gently uncurled the boy's body and arranged him to lie like he had been, only using his leg as a pillow. Tetsu seemed to breath a little easier then and Tatsu leaned his back against the wall, fingers still weaving through the boy's hair. Susumu returned quickly enough, glass and pitcher of water in his hands. Tetsu tried to move away from him when he tried to lift him but Tatsu took him from Susumu and stroked his hair again.

"Calm down, Tetsu," Tatsu said, lifting him as far as possible without causing any more pain. Susumu pressed the cup to the boy's lips and let him sip at the water until the glass was half empty.

"Hey, is he awake?" asked a soft voice from the doorway. The two caregivers looked up, Tatsu smiling at the assembled group, Susumu taking the cup form the boy's lips and laying him back down again. Shinpachi, Sanousuke, Heisuke and Mr. Okita walked in, all taking seats near or around the half sleeping boy. Each had a worried look on his face though Mr. Okita, who had taken a seat near Susumu, broke out into a light smile when Tetsu's eyes opened again. It took him a little bit longer for him to focus again, pain still clouding his face, but he finally did focus enough to meet Mr. Okita's gaze and return a watery, weak smile.

"Good morning, Tetsu," Mr. Okita greeted warmly, squeezing the boy's hand. Tetsu swallowed and squeezed back in greeting.

"He's awake?" Shinpachi asked, coming forward quickly to get a look at him. Heisuke and Sanousuke came forward quickly as well, all sighing in relief when Tetsu turned a bit stronger of a smile to them.

"How're you feeling, puppy boy?" Sanousuke asked, voice low. The room was still for a few moments, taking on a cooler air almost.

"Don't. Call me that." Tetsu said, eyes narrow, voice low and grip tightening almost painfully around Mr. Okita's hand. He suddenly seemed much older then his sixteen years and much more dangerous then the happy smiling face everyone was used to seeing. It was a little frightening really. Tatsu reached out and stroked Tetsu's hair again, smile on his lips.

"Tetsu, you're doing it again," he said, drawing Tetsu's attention away from the others. The grip on Okita's hand lessened immediately.

"Doing what?" Tetsu asked.

"Bein' stupid," Susumu answered. Tetsu's gaze immediately snapped to him, scowling.

"Shut up, Susumu!" he shouted and immediately regretted it. He grimaced, hand gripping Okita's again as the pain flashed through him and faded slowly. Okita merely smiled and stroked the back of the boy's hand.

"Calm down, Tetsu," Okita said.

"How are you feeling, Tetsu?" Heisuke asked, pulling the boy's attention to him. Tetsu had to pause for a second, taking stock of everything and calming his breathing again.

"My head hurts," Tetsu said finally, sounding tired again.

"Maybe you should rest some more," Okita said. Tetsu nodded slowly, taking a breath and breaking into a coughing fit again. Okita let go of his hand and let Tatsu gather him up and comfort him. Tetsu was soon asleep once more and tucked carefully into bed. The assembled group watched the boy sleep before Okita stood and walked out, shutting the door softly. Okita padded down the hall, walking softly on the balls of his feet so as not to wake the other sleeping men. It figures that the time that Tetsu would wake up would be at the same that he normally snuck into the kitchen for a late night snack. Okita shook his head, rubbing his hand and stepped carefully into the room of Toshizo Hijikata. The man was sitting outside on the porch, staring up at the moon, deep in thought, pipe hanging from still fingers. Okita shook his head and smiled, walking over to the man, took his pipe from him and replaced it with a cup of hot tea. Toshi came out of his daze then and looked at him.

"Souji," he whispered, looking relieved. Souji smiled, his shoulders relaxing from his stance of Mr. Okita. With everyone else his was Mr. Okita but with Toshi, the Commander and a select few others that knew him well, he was always Souji.

"He woke up for a little while," he said, just as softly, stroking some hair from the older man's face. Toshi sighed in relief and took a sip of the tea. Two seconds later, Souji was on his back on the porch laughing as Toshi tickled him.

"You little sweets freak," Toshi said, pinning his hand above his head. Souji giggled and looked up adorably at the older man.

"You know that I don't like my tea that sweet,"

"I just thought that you might like something a little different now that Tetsu's awake," he explained, smiling softly and freeing one hand to stroke the man's cheek.

"He woke up and will be alright now, Toshi," he whispered. Toshi leaned into the caress and slowly lowered himself down to lie over Souji's warm body. Roughly chapped lips pressed against softer, plush lips in a warming, lingering kiss before sleep finally overtook the vice commander. Souji shook his head, smile lingering on his lips as he carefully shook the taller man into a half sleep and tucked him into bed. Despite how uncaring the man seemed towards the small page, Toshi did find the boy, to some extent, greatly important to him and, as Toshi had confided in him more then once, the callous vice commander found the boy to have a vast amount of potential. Potential for what it was, was still unclear but that potential was building and building until at some point, either sooner or later, it would burst free and raise the boy to great heights. Souji watched the man sleep for a few moments more before daring to do something he had only done in the privacy of his rare assignments with Toshizo Hijikata where they were led out of town and on their own. He very carefully pulled the thick blankets up and slipped under them, curling his body around the taller form beside him, listening his vice commander's strong heartbeat. Steady, soothing, warm. It eased the many worried thoughts from his mind and lulled him into the first fitful sleep in a week. That night, he slept without dreaming of possible outcomes of their search for the precious puppy boy, Tetsunosuke Ichimura.

A:N// You know you want to review. Constructive critisism is greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own it!! Chapter 2 

He was gone. The bed was empty, covers thrown aside, red hair missing from the white of the futon. It was just starting to light outside, the sun rising from the east and the beginning sounds of morning in the Shinsengumi head quarters began to seep through to him. Shinpachi, Sanousuke and Heisuke were all asleep, strewn about the room but He was gone. The door to the porch was open to no more then a slit but he knew that that was where Tetsu had gone. Tatsu stood quickly, catching himself on the wall as his right leg decided to remain asleep. He shook it violently, nearly kicking Shinpachi, and rushed to the door. Sanousuke grunted as Tatsu tripped on his leg but the tall spear master remained asleep like the log he was. The grounds were empty just outside the door but he cast his gaze around any way and ran down the porch to the right, rounding the corner and heading off towards the kitchen. Tetsu's morning routine consisted of getting up near the crack of dawn and starting on Mr. Hijikata's first cup of superbly strong tea, feeding the pigs in the yard and getting everything out for whoever was going to be cooking breakfast. No doubt that was where he was heading. He stopped just around the corner to the next hallway when he heard muffled voices. It sounded like a few of the men had woken up early this morning for once.

"Shit! We need to get him back to his room!" said one of them.

"I know that but I don't know how to carry him when he's all banged up like this!" said another. Tatsu rounded the corner quickly and saw a strand of red on the grass.

"Tetsu…" he whispered and hurried over to the gathered men, not bothering to see who they were. Someone said something to him but he only had eyes for the small bundle of pale skin and red hair laying on the grass, bandages loose around his many wounds and blood starting to seep onto the white of his sleeping kimono.

"Tetsu," he said again, a little louder this time and rolling the boy onto his back.

"Hey, Tatsu, careful!" said one of the men, helping him to roll Tetsu over more gently. Tatsu didn't hear him and tapped the side of Tetsu's face gently to rouse him, calling his name as well. Tetsu seemed impervious to these attempts. Just before Tatsu was about to hit him harder or poke at one of his wounds, a groan escaped Tetsu's throat. His head moved away from the gentle slapping and his eyes drifted open to greet the world. There was a sigh among the other men and Tatsu himself as Tetsu blinked slowly and turned his gaze towards him.

"T… tatsu…" he whispered, voice broken as though in pain. "Why does… my leg hurt so much?" Tatsu kissed his little brother's head in relief and scooped the boy up carefully.

"You fell off the roof remember?" he answered, remembering just barely to use the story that Susumu had come up with. Tetsu looked confused for a moment before nodding in the affirmative and curling up more against Tatsu, eyes drifting shut once more. Tatsu nodded to the men, thanking them for finding Tetsu and walked back to Tetsu's temporary room. He tucked the little bundle back into bed, careful not to wake anyone and settled against his brother once more. As he watched Tetsu's chest rise and fall with his steady breathing he couldn't help but feel a sense of peace wash over him and push him into the same gentle slumber that everyone in room was experiencing.

The breeze was warm as it raced into the room from the open door and tickled across his face and hair to rouse him from sleep. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter to keep the light from his comfortable, warm, lucid dream world but gentle hands stroking through his hair brought him out of it and drew his eyes open slowly to greet the waking world. Tatsu as watching him again, like he always had been. He looked a little older since the last time that he had seen him, worry lines were etched into his face like a storm had come across him and cut them into his flesh. His eyes were downcast and reflective, worry beaten in them as well. Tetsu felt fear climb up his throat about to be voiced before another sound broke in.

"Tatsunosuke, if you keep watching over him like that then you'll end up in the bed next to him," Mr. Okita said, coming into Tetsu's line of site and taking a seat beside the other man. Tatsu seemed to snap out of it and turned to face Mr. Okita who was smiling gently at him. Mr. Okita, unlike Tatsu, still had that calming, happy air about him like he always had but yet, for some reason, it was also tinged with worry over something. It was very odd.

"Hey, Tatsu?" He said softly, immediately drawing their attention to him. He lifted a hand to Tatsu's face, tracing a worry line for a moment before Tatsu caught his hand.

"Yes, Tetsu?" He asked. It was so creepy!

"If you keep looking all worried like that then you'll end up looking like an old man's ass," he said jokingly. Tatsu looked shocked for a moment before he realized what he had said. There was the look he had wanted!

"Tetsu! How many times do I have to tell you that it'll be your fault if I end up that way! You scared the hell out of me!" Tetsu just laughed at his brother, hissing sharply as pain burned across his chest.

"S-sorry, T-tatsu," he said, wincing. Tatsu just sighed and shook his head, patting Tetsu's hand. Mr. Okita was still giggling though. When the pain subsided and Mr. Okita looked mostly normal again Tetsu looked to his brother again.

"What do you I scared the hell out of you?" he asked. Tatsu looked uncomfortable.

"You went missing for a whole week, Tetsu," Mr. Okita answered softly, Saizo nodding in agreement. Tetsu frowned. A whole week? When? The wind raced into the room again and brought with it the scent of the first smells of summer. He felt confusion race into his mind. When had he disappeared for a whole week? Where had he gone and….

"I didn't fall off the roof Tatsu," he said softly; staring up at the ceiling, frown growing deeper.

"What?"

"Before. You and Susumu said that I fell off the roof and that's why my leg and head hurt so much. But I didn't fall off the roof, Tatsu," Tatsu didn't say anything after that. Mr. Okita remained silent as well. The world around them was a buzz with activity, men shouting at each other, laughing and joking around. Why, why did that suddenly make him angry? Why did he have the sudden urge to walk up to each laughing, smiling face in the building and smack the smile or beat the laugh right out of them? Why was he suddenly enraged by the smells of summer, his favorite season?

"Tetsu? Is something wrong?" Mr. Okita asked, breaking Tetsu from his sudden enraged ramblings.

"Huh? Oh. Nothing," he said. "Hey, Tatsu? Can I have some water?" Tatsu nodded and hurried off to fill the pitcher again. Mr. Okita smiled down at Tetsu and sets Saizo on the floor.

"How are you feeling, Tetsu?" he asked. Tetsu thought about that for a few moments before shrugging.

"Alright, I guess," Tetsu answered. "My chest hurts for some reason and I still have a headache,"

"Hm, well, when we found you, you were pretty beaten up,"

"Found…? When did I disappear?"

"A few days ago. We found you just the other day out on night patrol. Do you… remember anything, Tetsu?" Tetsu frowned faintly at the question. Remember anything about what? He closed his eyes for a moment, digging into the very back of his mind he tried to remember everything from the past few days. He remembered going to the Marketplace and picking up a few things for the others. Something in a store had caught his eye, he remembered that, and springing for it as a present for someone but…. Pain shot through his head suddenly and made him hiss, grabbing his head with his good hand. The sounds of approaching summer began to drift away from him to be replaced by darker sounds. Sounds that grated against his ears like sandpaper and burned like the cut of a blade. They warped the happier sounds into darker things, demonic shouts and grunts and screams of pain. Crying burned his ears, pleading shouts and begs for mercy tormented and clawed at him. Eyes… deep black eyes haunted him. Cruel fingers ripped at him and—

"Tetsu!" Mr. Okita called, shaking the boy roughly. "Tetsu, snap out of it!" Tetsu tried to lash out at him again but Tatsu quickly held his arm down. Susumu gripped his legs easily to keep him from kicking but Tetsu kept fighting. The boy's eyes were wild with some type of fear and rage lighting the boy's eyes from within. If they didn't stop him soon then Tetsu would only hurt himself more then them.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Hijikata barked, hearing the commotion in the room and throwing the other door open. He took in the situation quickly enough and ordered someone behind him to get some hot water before Tetsu could tear open his side wound. Souji moved to the other side of Tetsu quickly to give the vice commander some room to work. Tetsu seemed to be getting more and more violent by the second as he continued to thrash around, yelling incoherently at a specter that only he could see.

"You bastard!" he shouted. "I'll fucking kill you, you asshole! Get away from me!" It was the only clear thing that could be made out from all the noise in the room. The hot water and a cup were brought quickly enough, Hijikata taking both and mixing something from a small pouch into the water.

"Souji, hold his head still," he ordered. Souji obeyed quickly, Tatsu holding the boy's arms and Souji gripping his head in a strong yet vaguely gentle grip. Hijikata gripped his chin firmly and began to pour the drink down Tetsu's throat. Tetsu tried to jerk away, coughing and trying to spit out the concoction before he could swallow it. Hijikata wouldn't let him get away and forced the rest of the drink down the boy's throat, pulling the cup away when he started to choke on it. Tetsu tore away from him the cup was empty but soon, thankfully not two minutes later, Tetsu's spasms began to calm greatly until he fell limp, sleep clouding his mind and relieving him of his thoughts from this world. Carefully, the three of them let him go. Susumu quickly began to tend to any of the wounds that had been torn open by his rampage. Hijikata just shook his head at the sight of everything. His little page, the annoying little brat that tried to serve him mopped up tea and the brat that didn't know when to keep his nose out of things, had been this hurt by something that he knew nothing about. It bothered him greatly for some reason that someone or something could do this to the spirited boy. His speed could rival Shinpachi's and his determination greatly surpassed every man in the ranks. So how was it possible that this could happen to him? How was it possible that he could get this hurt when all he got from the Ikeda Inn incident, an incident that had such danger in it that even his hand was shaking faintly from it, was a scar on his ear? He'd deny it long before he'd say this to anyone. Whoever had hurt Tetsu, whoever had caused more scars to be laid upon this boy would most certainly pay. He would make sure of it. He would also make sure that whatever the fuck was causing his spine to chill every time he looked at the boy's wounds would disappear and be put to rest.

A:N// I'm surprised at the response already. Thank you for the reviews guys and here's the second chapter!! To me, Hijikata seems to be the type of person that doesn't openly show that he cares for someone and keeps his bonds to himself… except in the case of Souji. With Souji that's completely different. Hope you liked the chapter!! Thanks for reading!!!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own Peacemaker

Chapter 3 

_"Get your ass over here boy!" Someone shouted, another grabbing his hair and hauling him up towards the big man before him. He pressed back a shout of pain at the rough treatment and repressed the urge to kick out at the aggressors before the right time came. The big man grabbed his wrists and smacked his hands together roughly to get them to open. His lip curled in a snarl as the big man inspected his hands and shook his head. _

_"To damn rough," he grunted. "You ever handled a sword boy?" asked the big man, not expecting an answer._

_"A kid this tiny, Boss? I doubt he could even pick up the sword let alone use it," said the grunt behind him. The big man, Boss, apparently found this highly amusing as he started laughing and shoved him back into the cage with the others. The door was bolted and locked shut again and the men moved away from the cage in favor of another one. Whimpers could be heard from deeper into the cage but he didn't move away from his corner near the bars. Everyone else was relatively skinny, some so weak that they couldn't stand on their own. Most of the weaker ones had either died or been taken away, or so he'd heard. He could just imagine what "Taken away" meant and it made his stomach churn, his hands itch, and his eyes burn red from anger. But all he could do now was bide his time. All he could do now was wait, wait until one of them did something stupid and gave him an opening. One of them came back and opened the door. Oh how stupid this man was._

Tetsu felt his stomach curl suddenly and sat up quickly, trying not retch. The memory, if that's what it was, slithered away to the back of his mind, laughing cruelly at him as the dry heaves began to pass. His stomach clenched a little as the cause of the heaves was sent wafting into his nose again. Cool hands pressed against his burning forehead and neck and calmed his jittery nerves. There was a small tray sitting beside his bed, bowl of rice and miso soup sitting there as innocent as could be, as if they didn't know that their very scent caused his stomach to try and heave itself out by catapult up his throat. Those hands, feminine and too small to be male or Mr. Okita, stayed where they were for a few moments before cupping his face and turning his head to his guest. The new housekeeper watched him carefully and smiled softly down to him.

"That must have been some nightmare you were havin'," she said softly, voice lilted like the other people in the area. Her coal black eyes were warm, deep brown hair done in a bun at the base of her neck while her thumbs stroked gently along his cheeks.

"I take it you wouldn't be up for food then would you?" He cast his glance to the tray again, now spotting the small cup of tea sitting there as well and shook his head.

"Well, I'm afraid that I'll have to force a little soup into you else your brother will mighty upset with me," Tetsu groaned and fell against her. He didn't want to eat dang it! The very smell was making him sick! He felt her laughter rise softly from her chest and her arms settled around him, careful of his injuries.

"You really shouldn't be lyin' like that you know. You could hurt yourself further,"

"I'm not hungry," he answered. His hair stirred as she let out a sigh and one of her arms left him briefly before the air around them was tainted by the smell of the soup. Tetsu cracked an eye open and glared at the offending bowl, wishing it to crack or something and make the soup spill on the floor.

"Hungry or not you've gotta eat somthin' to get your strength back and you can either accept it from me or have someone else feed you,"

"No thank you. I'd only throw it back up,"

"Probably but the other's won't be so nice as to offer you the food the first time," She had a point there. Tetsu groaned again and sat up, wincing when his side pulled. The others would hold him down and force him to swallow the stuff, wasting half of it in the process and then regret it when he puked all over them. He regarded the innocent looking bowl once more before sighing and taking it carefully. The bowl was warm, not hot, and steam rose from the liquid when it swished around. It looked like miso soup should. Like soup and not paste or water like Shinpachi or Sanousuke had a tendency of cooking it. He took a tentative little sip of soup and paused a moment, swallowing and waiting to see his stomach's reaction. It churned a little but settled quickly. Another sip and soon, the bowl was being set on the tray and the housekeeper's hand moved to the rice bowl.

"Soup I can handle, rice… not unless you want to clean the floor," he said. She laughed again and handed him the cup of tea.

"This you have no choice but to drink. The doctor brought it by just a few days ago for you to have whenever you eat. It smells like mint if that's any comfort to you," she said, wrapping his hand around the cup. The scent wasn't any comfort at all. He knew doctors, they were all sick bastards that told you the next poke or prod wouldn't hurt and then the poked place stung like hell for the next three days! The housekeeper, though, was watching him with a patient, all knowing look, wearing him down until he took the first swallow of the tea… and promptly tried not to throw it back up. It tasted horrible! What did he make this crap out of, dead rat?! Laughter brought him out of his gagging fit and he scowled at the housekeeper.

"It's not funny!" he shouted, which only caused her to giggles to multiply. Tetsu merely scowled and quickly gulped the rest of the foul liquid down, regretting, of course, when it burned his throat and tongue.

"You've got to be much more careful with hot things, Tetsunosuke," she said, setting the cup on the tray. He tossed her a withering look and lay down again. She didn't say anything more and pulled the covers over him gently, tucking him in and placing a light kiss to his forehead. He heard her standing and taking up the tray in her hands and leaving the room. His eyes began to drift shut of their own volition and dreams began to play out behind his eyelids.

_They were peaceful, happy dreams full of the sounds and feelings of the approaching summer months. There was the sudden scent of rain tinting the air and the sudden sense that he had forgotten something. The basket he had been carrying throughout his dream was set beside the gate and he ran back down the steps and into the busy market streets again. Looking around he saw all the normal faces and all the normal scenes yet for some reason, the tiny hairs on the back of his neck were beginning to tingle as he approached an alley short cut that led to the other side of the market. He crossed into the alley, eyes flicking through the shadows and the little side alleys to make sure that no one snuck up on him. A rock slipped and his neck exploded in pain. Gray hedged his vision of the pair of feet before him on the pebbled earth before blackening completely._

Hijikata watched through the door as Tetsu's bandages were removed slowly. The boy was sitting up, awake, or at least partially awake, and aware of his surroundings, wincing every time a bandage was removed and a scab was pulled off with it. Susumu was very careful though, pulling bandages but careful enough not to touch the wounded areas. Tatsu lifted the boy's snapped arm carefully away from the boy's side so that Susumu could patch up the side wound. To his credit, Tetsu didn't flinch at the movement of his arm nor did he make any sounds of pain. Hijikata stared once the bandages were removed. Cuts, bruises and gashes were everywhere on the boy. The one on his side would surely scar even with the stitches that held the wound closed and the few that littered his back would close up easily.

"Mr. Hijikata," Souji said beside him, voice low so no one in the room would hear him. "Does it look like one of the cuts on Tetsu's shoulder was intentional?"

"They all look intentional, Souji,"

"No. One of them looks like it was cut into his skin on purpose," Hijikata frowned and looked to where the other man was pointing. There, on Tetsu's right shoulder blade, one of the wounds looked to be in the shape of an N or… something. Hijikata stepped into the room and kneeled behind the boy, ignoring the look Tatsu was giving him. He pushed the boy forward a little, careful not to bend him over to far, and put the wound in the light more. Sure enough, the wound was cut in an odd pattern, not related to a beating or ordinary little cut at all. It was small, but noticeable, cut in the shape of a tiny N with a mirrored N right below it. It was odd. Susumu looked over his shoulder at the wound, passing the bandage he was wrapping around Tetsu's side to Tatsu. Hijikata glanced at him, recognizing the curiosity in his gaze and nodding at him. Susumu nodded in return, an assignment given and accepted between them before Hijikata left the room. Souji followed him down the hall, silent, waiting for him to speak.

"Something is going on, Souji," he said, stepping into the room and shutting the door to the outside world. Souji remained silent, waiting, and curious. "I don't know what it is but that little runt disappeared, comes back beaten a week later and now has a mark on his right shoulder that looks like someone cut it there on purpose,"

"Like a mark of ownership?" Souji asked. Hijikata nodded, arms crossed in front of him.

"Hm, it must be something bad if you're getting Yamazaki to look into it," Souji said, sitting across from Hijikata. Hijikata stared off into space, the gears in his mind working overtime to figure it out. Souji sighed and set Saizo down, scooting closer and rubbing Toshi's temples. Toshi looked down to him, hands coming up to rest on his shoulders.

"If you keep trying to puzzle it out without anything else to go on then you'll give yourself a headache," Souji said. Toshi sighed heavily and pulled his hands away.

"I know that, Souji," he said. Souji smiled up at him and picked Saizo up, standing and walking towards the door.

"I'll keep watch over Tetsu and see if he says anything," he said. At Toshi's nod he smiled and walked out.

A/N: Sorry that it took so long!!!!!! Major writer's block guys!!! I promise that I shall do better next update which WILL be sometime next month. Constructive criticism is always welcome so tell me what you think and how to make it better if there is something to fix. Love ya guys!!! Ja ne!!


	4. Forgive me!

Author's plea for forgiveness.

prostrates herself on the floor at the readers' feet Gomen Nasai, Minna-san!!! I have been so busy with school and driving lessons and the writers block demon that I have not been working on this like I should!! I am so very sorry and I will be working on it. The next chapter will be up by next week and if not then I shall reveal something about the story in another chapter. Onegai, Minna-san, a little more time is all I ask!!! Arigatou Gozaimashita!!!!

speeds into her room and locks the door from the outside, sealing herself to the computer chair to crank out the next chapter


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Susumu sighed heavily as he flitted across the rooftops, the sun just beginning to break on the horizon. It would be another half hour or so before the sun began to peek out but he wanted to be home just the same so he most certainly wouldn't be noticed. He had searched all over town for some sort of symbol like the one cut into Tetsu's shoulder blade but for the life of him he didn't even know where to start looking. That symbol could be just a cut but he had a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't by any means just a cut. It could also be some sort of symbol belonging to a clan dealing in more illicit affairs, though Susumu severely hoped that it wasn't for if it was, then that clan would have a very high price to pay for screwing with one of their own, even though the one screwed with was just a page. Susumu shook his head rapidly and leapt silently over the wall of the compound. All was quiet as he traveled carefully towards his room except for the faint shuffling noise coming from the kitchen. He paused a moment before he changed his route to head towards the kitchen, curious about the noise. Just as he had suspected, the new housekeeper was preparing the first morning meal for those "lucky" enough to be posted for the dawn patrol. His eyes narrowed just slightly as he watched her moving about, checking on the rice and the fish and the soup like she had been there for ages already and not just a few weeks.

He could hear the sounds of the men starting to wake up for the day and left the kitchen area quickly, not wanting to be caught by the woman. Stepping lightly through the halls, he returned to his room, changed into his sleeping clothes and snuggled down for at the very least, three hours of sleep, if that. And just as he had suspected, two hours later he was awakened from his sleep by the feeling of eyes staring at him from no more then three feet away. It was annoying really, how the petite young man would just sit there and stare at him until he woke up, which wasn't long enough for his taste.

"I know you're awake, Yamazaki," Okita giggled and poked him in the cheek. "It's no use hiding it from me," The poking continued until Susumu willed his eyes to open, meeting the smiling eyes of the man.

"There somethin' you need, Mr. Okita?" he asked. Okita just smiled impishly and shook his head.

"Not really. I just thought that you wouldn't want to miss breakfast is all," Susumu's eyes narrowed before he rolled over, back facing the man.

"All I want right now is sleep if you don't mind," he said. There was a sigh beside him before Okita's voice, quiet and serious, more of an order then a question, rang upon his ears again.

"Did you find out anything?" Susumu let out a long, slow breath before sitting up, all thoughts of sleeping gone. He met the eyes solemn eyes of the first unit captain and began to report what little he had found.

A cloud of smoke flew from the vice-commander's lips as he stared out into the small yard in front of the porch. His pipe rested in a loose grip in his right hand, nearly forgotten as his mind processed the information he was given. Of course, he hadn't really expected Yamazaki to find too much but to come up with nothing, needless to say it bothered the voice-commander to no end. Usually, when given something, the spy would be able to come up with a scrap or two and then be able to find just a little more the next night. Whoever or whatever they were looking for obviously did not want to be found though. He wouldn't settle for that though. Tapping his pipe against the wood of the porch he stood and walked back into his room, sliding the door shut with a soft clack and setting the pipe on the low writing table near the door. Yamazaki didn't move a muscle, back straight as a board, eyes tracking him easily, hands loose on his knees, pinky twitching the slightest bit out of habit.

"Continue scouting tonight," was his order. Yamazaki nodded and, taking the vice-commander's move to sit at his desk as a dismissal, bowed and stood, stepping silent as a cat to the door.

"Yamazaki," he paused here, assuring himself that he had the man's attention. "Be careful," the soft clack of the door shutting was his answer as Yamazaki walked silently down the hall. Of course he would be careful, as careful as he could be with zero leads and zero knowledge of just what the hell he was getting into and the highly strong feeling that something was going to happen either within the next five minutes or the next five hours or when he crossed into the more rundown section of he red light district. As he had passed through that area the night before a strong chill, completely unrelated to the fading winter gusts that came with night fall, had swept over him with a force so strong he had nearly toppled off the roof of the building he had been running across. He had glanced over his shoulder quickly, unsure and paranoid of what had caused the chill, but saw nothing but more rooftops and the moon low in the sky. It would be dawn soon. The chill came once more, with less intensity this time, as he passed once more over a rooftop of a deserted looking building. He had paused, feet planted firmly, silently, lightly against the wood and waited, feeling the chill creep down his spine and back up again, slowly moving over his entire body until he was certain, absolutely certain, that this place had something that he was looking for. Quickly though, he had moved on as he felt a slight stirring in the house and flew soft as the wind back towards headquarters.

"Hey, Susumu! If you aren't careful you'll smack right into something and bring the whole place down!" called a teasing voice from the porch area. Glancing to the side he saw that he was standing in front of the open door to Tetsu's room, the boy sitting outside on the porch in a patch of sunlight, looking cheerful and with a bit more color to his cheeks. The housekeeper was sitting there as well, food tray near her and a bowl of soup in her hand, disgruntled look on her face as she watched Tetsu grin and ignore her completely. Taking vague pity on the woman and the reprieve from his thoughts, Susumu walked into the room and over to the boy, catching his gaze and casting it to the bowl of soup, stopping the impending argument quickly as he spoke.

"I don't care if you aren't hungry, brat, but if you want to get better you'll have to eat somethin'," And just as he had thought, Tetsu shouted at him that he wasn't hungry and the argument began, Susumu grabbing onto the distraction happily.

* * *

A/N: Arigatou Gozaimasu, Minna-san, for your patience with me!! Here is the next chapter and I am happy to say that I do have an idea for the next chapter where more shall be revealed!! Please keep reading and feel free to review!!! Ja ne! 


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: I do not own Peacemaker Kurogane.

Chapter 5

Again, the chill crept slowly up his back as he stood poised on the roof of the building. It swept through the thin soles of his tabi boots, chilling the bottoms of his feet and sealing them to the roof. His back stiffened slowly with the coming chill and his eyes fluttered shut ever so slowly to pass the chill into memory. A vibration came from the building below him, alerting him to the approaching presence of an occupant of the house. As soon as the moon was eclipsed by a thick cloud he sprinted off the roof of the building, catching himself on a rafter and sweeping into one of the open windows near the top of the house yet he did not pause there. Just as the door to the room slid open he ducked carefully behind a pile of old, dusty boxes, effectively evading the beam of fire light the lamp cast off as it came into the room. The light was spread around the room slowly, a shadow behind it moving across the room in the opposite direction of his hiding place and began to dig through an open box. From what he could see as his eyes adjusted quickly to the half light being cast about the lamp carrier was young, perhaps a little older then Tetsu and very, very tired.

The boy, he could only assume it to be a boy as the sides of the body were straight and undeveloped for it to be a girl, continued to rummage around until he found what he was looking for, pressing a thick book to his chest as he shut the trunk and hurried to the door again. It was quick, perhaps a trick of the light but it was most certainly there. Upon the boy's right shoulder was the same mark that was carved in the same place on Tetsu's, the same mark that now made his stomach start to twist as his mind began working. He was torn from the mark as soon as he was brought to it as the boy fled the room, pouring the lamplight into the hallway and shutting the door quickly and quietly, as though afraid to wake the rest of the house.

Thankfully, the moon fell through the window he had come through as the cloud drifted off, lending just enough light to see by so he could wander to the door. Soundlessly, he pushed the door open and glanced around. The hall way was silent, the boy gone and the light gone with it. He blended with the shadows, feeling along the smooth, aged wall with one hand, foot inching forward carefully so as not to come across something unawares and make a commotion. The impression of a doorway met his wandering fingers seconds before he heard the door slide open. Quickly, he sank into the deepest shadows as the boy stepped from the room, bowed hastily and fled. There was a faint creak of floorboards and steps before the house was silent once more. He stood still as a shadow and listened, listened for any other presence in the room the boy had just come from. There. Faint, and heard just for a single moment but there it was, a voice. It was older, gruff and agitated about something. He slipped closer to the door, listening carefully to distinguish anything.

"…away," it was saying. "You're an idiot for letting it happen. Now we've lost money because of that little brat!"

"I'm sorry, sir, he was a lot more tricky then he looked," said a second voice. "How was I to know that he was one of them damn dogs?" He frowned, the chill growing stronger and sweeping down his spine in growing waves of intensity. Carefully, he leaned forward to hear more but a creak shattered the silence. The conversation stopped, a voice calling out for the person to come in or get lost. Before the door slipped open, he moved back to the window he had come in from and slipped out, moved onto the roof and ran back to head quarters as fast as possible. Something was most certainly not right in that house. The guards posted at the front gate paid him no mind as he leapt over the wall silent as a cat and moved to the vice-commander's quarters. Kneeling near the outside door he waited, knowing by the faint lamplight shining through the thin paper of the door that he was still awake.

"What did you find, Yamazaki?" he asked, voice low.

"I think I may have found the place where Tetsu was held, sir," there was silence for a long moment before the door slid open a crack. Taking that as his invitation he slipped in, closing the door and sitting near it, keeping his head lowered.

"Explain,"

"It's a rundown house past the red light district. I've got nothing more to go on other than that chill I told you about before, sir, but I believe somethin' may be goin' on there. I saw a boy rummagin' around in a trunk and pull out a book. I followed him and saw him leave a room where I then heard two voices talkin' about someone getting away and loosin' money because of it," he said quietly, careful to keep his voice low due to the fact that the walls had ears half the time. Hijikata looked pensive, letting out a puff of smoke and tapping his pipe against an ashtray. He was silent for a long moment before speaking, voice a little softer.

"It couldn't have been a poor brothel could it?" he asked. Yamazaki paused, thinking back on it before shaking his head slowly.

"As much as I would hope that it was, sir," he started. "I really don't think it was just some brothel of the normal type," He saw a muscle in Hijikata's mouth jump, the fingers tightening around his pipe as the man came to the same conclusion that he had. The pair was silent for a long time, both thinking, both dreading and both wishing for the conclusion to be false. But the feeling that it wasn't just a wild, completely unfounded shot in the dark was just a little too strong to shoot down completely.

"Keep an eye on the place, Yamazaki," he said. He nodded quickly and left, sliding the door shut and returning to his own room, knowing that neither of them would sleep very well that night, if at all. He was awakened early the next morning, the sun barely cresting the horizon before a voice sounded by his door, sliding it open.

"Yamazaki-san, I'm sorry to have to wake you up so early this morning but there's a problem with Ichimura-kun," said the housekeeper. Sighing silently to himself he got up and followed the woman down the hall towards the brat's room. The sound of some sort of struggle caught his attention the closer he got to the room as did the sound of some sort of shouting, unintelligible over the struggle and sounding more like an animal then a person. His suspicions were quickly confirmed as he entered the room and saw Tetsu flailing around, straining against the hands trying to hold him down, shouting something, caught up in the grips of some sort of nightmare. He moved quickly, squeezing between Tatsu and whoever was trying to gently hold him, he was too busy to notice who it was, and pressed his fingers against a pressure point, narrowly avoiding getting decked as a fist flew at him. The struggles slowly calmed, the attacks losing their intensity until they were weak twitches. When the nightmare appeared to have passed, he let up, waving off those holding the boy down and gently tried to rouse him.

"He's been asleep since early yesterday afternoon," supplied Tatsu. "I haven't been able to wake him at all,"

"It's the tea the doctor prescribed. It has a sleeping aide in it that takes a while to work since it has to build up in his system first. When it does though it'll last a while," Susumu answered, tapping his hand against the boy's cheek lightly. "Wake up you stupid brat," he muttered softly. Slowly, the boy's eyes fluttered, cracking open with some difficulty until they opened halfway, foggy with sleep and the residual effects of the medicine. He blinked a few times, glancing around slowly, eyes resting on him finally and staring up in confusion.

"Wha…?" he asked softly, not yet completely aware of where he was.

"You were havin' a nightmare," he said simply and moved his hand up to press it against his forehead. A frown crossed his face as the skin under his hand, instead of being cool like it was supposed to be, was starting to increase in heat, already warmer then it was supposed to be. There was a tug on his sleeve and Tetsu stared up at him with big sleepy eyes.

"Can I get another blanket? I'm really cold," he said. Glancing at the house keeper he nodded to her and looked back to Tetsu.

"Sure. How're you feelin'?" Tetsu let his sleeve go and rubbed at his eyes, yawning sleepily and shrugged.

"Cold," he said.

"Other than that," Susumu asked. Tetsu looked thoughtful for a moment, staring up at the ceiling.

"Kind of… numb," he said quietly. "And really cold,"

"Well, the cold problem can be fixed pretty easily," said the housekeeper, walking back into the room and carefully laying another blanket over the boy. Tetsu seemed to snuggle into the extra warmth and smiled faintly, looking ready to fall back to sleep again. Susumu shook his head and let the boy sleep.

"Keep an eye on his temperature and clean his wounds, at least three times today," he said, glancing out of the corner of his eye to the housekeeper as he stood. The woman nodded and said nothing as he passed her. He did hear her gently admonish Tatsu as he started to fret over the boy. Quietly, he made his way through the halls and stopped at the vice-commander's room. He knelt by the door silently and waited, knowing that it wouldn't be long seeing as how the vice-commander, no matter how late he stayed up, couldn't force himself to sleep much past sunrise.

"What is it?" came the quite order from inside the room. Pushing the door open a crack he caught the site of the vice-commander's back as he sat up from bed and what he thought was another person leaving the room from the door at the other side of the room.

"It's possible that the boy is going to be getting a fever from an infection, sir," he said. The man sighed and nodded, standing from the tangle of bed covers and reigning his hair in with one hand. Before the man could say anything there was the sound of approaching footsteps and the door Susumu sat in front of was thrown open by another man.

"Sir!" said the uniformed officer.

"What is it?" Hijikata snapped, glaring at the man over his shoulder as he reached for a strip of fabric used to hold back his hair.

"Terribly sorry, sir, but there's a problem,"

"Where?"

"At the front gate, sir. There's a boy—"

"A boy?" At this, Hijikata quickly pulled on the outer kimono that lay nearby, not bothering to remove his sleeping kimono and motioned for Susumu to stand and follow them as he stepped out into the hall.

"Hai, a young boy, perhaps no older then Tetsu, was found laying near the front gate before we went out on patrol. He appears to have been beaten up and either left there by someone or dragged himself there," reported the officer, following the other two quickly. They made their way to the front gate quickly where two other men were waiting, one kneeling on the ground and the other standing. From what Susumu could see as they got closer, was that the man kneeling to be holding something trembling in his arms, tiny fingers woven into his haori. The one standing straightened when he saw them coming, stepping aside when Hijikata stepped up to the kneeling man's side. Susumu thought he saw the vice-commander wince before stepping closer himself and peering down at what the man held. It was indeed a smaller boy, painfully thin and in a ratty looking kimono that was much too short for a boy. The kimono with its short length revealed the boy's legs and a large pink scar on the back of one thigh.

Thick, dirty chunks of black hair lay on the boy's head and his fingers looked like painful little sticks, clutching the fabric under them. Hijikata knelt by the man and carefully brushed some hair from the poor boy's face. There was an almost violent thrashing of limbs, the boy burying himself deeper into the one holding him and staring with terrified eyes at the vice-commander. Hijikata's face softened just slightly and he withdrew his hand. The sound of the boy's harsh breathing rose into the air before a thin hand shot out and grabbed onto the withdrawing sleeve of the vice-commander. Hijikata looked mildly surprised and took the boy's hand in his own, ignoring the fact that said hand looked almost like a pile of broken sticks trembling horribly in the wind.

"What—" he started.

"T…. Te…. Tet…su," whispered the boy, brokenly, gripping the strong hand before him almost like a lifeline.

"Tet…su," he said again.

"He's here," said Hijikata gently. The boy's shoulders relaxed slightly, the clutching fingers loosening their grasp. The harsh, rattling breathing faded as the boy's body went limp. Hijikata carefully let the boy's hand fall from his own and reached over, checking for a pulse. Susumu waited, knowing already the condition of the boy and watched as Hijikata stood.

"Get him cleaned up and changed," he said.

"Sir?" asked one of the men.

"We'll try and find out who his parents are if possible. Make sure that there's a burial plot available,"

"Hai," the boy was carefully gathered up and carried into the building. Susumu watched them leave then looked towards the tall vice-commander, who remained silent.

"Where was the mark?" he asked finally.

"The back of his right thigh," Susumu answered. Hijikata nodded stiffly and walked back inside, Susumu following obediently. They knew, now, that the mark on Tetsu's shoulder was not some run of the mill mark but a brand. That brand made is apparent that whoever had taken Tetsu had had other intentions for the boy and that it was not a onetime thing. Oh, this was most certainly not a onetime thing. And who ever had done this would pay, many, many times over.

A/N: Thank you so much guys for being patient. Here's the next chapter and a major plot point! I'll try and have the next chapter up as soon as I can seeing as how it's summer time. Leave comments please!!


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Peacemaker Kurogane is not mine. Please enjoy the chapter everyone!

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Chapter 6

_It hurt. Oh Kami, did it hurt. The blows landed everywhere until his body was just one big bruise. He could feel the bones in chest slowly breaking apart and his lungs burning with the need for air. Steel burned in his side like fire, and water tasting of copper and thicker than it should be ran into his mouth and nearly choked him as he tried to swallow around the screams he was holding back. He would never give them the satisfaction of hearing him scream like the others did, begging for them to stop the onslaught of pain. Yes, he would endure this. He would endure and then he would come back ten, no, one hundred times stronger and beat them the way they deserved. He had never believed in the existence of demons until he had seen the treatment of the children here and felt the venomous, choking, burning pain in the very center of his being. _

_Now, all he could do was lay there, on that cold, splintered floor, his clothes tattered and torn, hair matted and caked with blood and pray that he would soon get his chance to escape. Because if he could escape, then he could run back to headquarters and send the men after the demons that were committing such vile and deplorable acts as the ones he only heard of. Laughter bubbled up and spilled out of his mouth, a sort of crazed, maniacal laugh that could have scared Tatsu into thinking that he had cracked. And maybe he had. Maybe, as he looked at the surprise on the demons' faces and laughed all the harder, as he was beaten into unconsciousness and dragged himself down the alley in the early rays of dawn. As he woke up in the warmth and comfort of the familiar Shinsengumi headquarters and thought back on these wounds that still lingered, he had cracked. _

"Tetsu?" Blinking, Tetsu turned away from his blank examination of the ceiling above him and focused on the woman beside him. Her dark eyes looked worried and her hand was cool against his burning forehead. She had such a gentle touch, like that of his mother.

"Mr. Hijikata is here to talk to you," she said softly. He felt his head bob in what he thought was a nod and soon he was staring at Mr. Hijikata's stern face. The man looked like he was on a mission of some sort, his brows drawn over his eyes and lips a tight line across his face. That look sent a shiver down his spine and he quickly hurried to sit up and face the man properly.

"Don't you even think about sitting up, Ichimura," said the vice-commander, voice harsh but hand gentle as it pushed him back onto the futon. He obeyed, smiling a little at Mr. Okita when he spotted the man nearby, and lay back down. Mr. Hijikata's scowl softened slightly as he took in the condition of his page.

"How's his fever?" he asked, looking away from him and to the housekeeper sitting near the door.

"It hasn't gone down really," she said. "But then, it hasn't gone up either,"

"I feel fine," he added, summoning strength to his voice to try and convince the man.

"Have you changed his bandages yet?" Hijikata asked, ignoring the boy completely.

"No, Sir, but it is time that they have to be changed," responded the housekeeper and shuffled closer.

"I don't have to drink that nasty tea again do I?" he asked as he was helped up, Mr. Okita coming around on his other side to let him lean against him. Hijimkata moved aside and let the housekeeper take his place.

"Not right now but you will at dinner time," Said the housekeeper, who promptly laughed at the disgusted look on his face.

"It can't be that bad, Tetsu," Mr. Okita said lightly, a laugh lighting his voice.

"It tastes like a rat died in it!" he exclaimed, not moving as the bandages were removed. Mr. Okita laughed lightly and shook his head.

"Well, regardless of how it tastes you still have to drink it. Doctor's orders after all," Tetsu just pouted and relaxed against the hands that started tending his many wounds. The hands were gentle as they carefully applied the cream thingy the doctor gave them. He laughed a little as it tickled and chilled his overly heated skin. He didn't have to open his closed eyes to know that both men were tracing the cuts with their eyes as the housekeeper applied the cream, checked the stitches, and reapplied the bandages. Not surprisingly, in the silence and stillness of the room he began to drift, mind wandering over his previous musing.

_That's right,_ he thought to himself. _I still have to find those bastards and rip their heads off._

"What?" Mr. Okita questioned softly, hand coming up to his forehead and pressing the back of his hand against it.

"Huh?" he asked.

"Who's heads do you have to rip off?" he asked, voice still soft, still keeping him sleepily aware of his surroundings.

"Do you mean the men who took you?" His brow furrowed very slightly, mind awakening to the purpose of the visit. He nodded.

"Where did they take you, Tetsu?" Faintly, he began to recall details that only sprang up in his nightmares about that place.

"Some... real old building. The floors creaked real bad."

"So it was in the old area of the city?" Mr. Hijikata questioned. Again, he nodded.

"Yeah." Here his eyes opened a little, staring ahead of him and out the open door across from him. "Real old area. Lots of empty buildings and stuff." The memories were getting clearer now, coming in faster then he could order them. Waking up in a dark, rank smelling room, the first hit, the stab of the dagger, the frightened eyes of the kids he was forced into a barricaded room with, the screams of the other kids, the pleading, the grotesque laughter and lewd jokes that he wanted to hear no more of. His thoughts stilled. Kids... others... He felt a surge of panic overtake him. He tried to it up straighter, turn his head to look at Mr. Hijikata, but Mr. Okita held firm, kept him still from the sudden movements that would have torn open the wound on his side.

"There are others!" he shouted, arm shooting out to try and shove the housekeeper out of the way but Hijikata caught him, keeping him from striking the woman. He jerked his head free despite the dizziness it caused and locked his gaze on the vice-commander at his side.

"There are others there! Other kids! They didn't just take me but they--!!"

"Calm down, Ichimura," Hijikata barked, eyes boring into his head.

"We know about the others. One of them came here to find you," Tetsu stilled and stared at the dark haired man.

"Did... did he..." he couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes," Hijikata said. "He is dead."

"How many others are there, Tetsu?" Mr. Okita asked, carefully drawing his attention away from that knowledge. Tetsu took a steadying breath and swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"I-I don't know," he said. "A lot, I think,"

"How badly hurt are they?"

"Bad. Some worse then me. Mr. Okita…" he started, looking away from the kind man and staring outside again. He felt the press of the bandages that began to encircle him as they covered his wounds.

"Yes, Tetsu?"

"Slavery isn't allowed right?"

"No, it isn't."

"Then why are they selling them as bed slaves?" All movement ceased. The air in the room chilled considerably, the hands wrapping the bandages around him stilling.

He could almost picture the looks on their faces as his question registered in their minds. Disbelief changed to sickness, which changed to rage, and that molded to a cool burning anger lingering just below the surface of Mr. Okita's hands as they rested against his shoulder and forehead.

With smooth hands, the housekeeper secured the bandages quickly and shuffled back to allow Mr. Hijikata to turn Tetsu's face to him. It was like the man was wearing a stone mask instead of his actual face, the features schooled into a mask of calm that was truly only used against important people or when he was well and truly pissed off. This was one of the times that he was VERY well and truly pissed off.

"You are sure they are being sold as bed slaves." Statement not question.

"Yes, Sir," he said softly, fear gripping him when faced with that look.

"Would you be able to recognize the place if you saw it again?"

"I... I think so," Hijikata nodded and let him go, standing and leaving the room. He saw a shadow, Susumu most likely. He shut the door and followed the fuming man down the hallway, their footsteps nearly silent and fading quickly. Mr. Okita and the housekeeper were still, quite, statues beside him, their breathing silent, the air still charged with tension. Tatsu nearly choked on it when he walked in.

"Tetsu, are you awake?" Tatsu asked as he slid the door open again and stepped in. He stilled immediately at the feel of the oppressive air. Without missing a beat, Tetsu leaned his head back and grinned at his older brother.

"Hi, Tatsu!" he called cheerfully. Mr. Okita's mask of cheerful serenity slipped easily back into place with the two second distraction, and he helped Tetsu lay back down, replacing the cool cloth on his forehead and smiling up at Tatsu as he sat down next to his baby brother. Tatsu's smile was strained, his eyes suspicious, but he kept up with the act.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked. Tetsu continued smiling and went about the usual routine of complaining and over dramatizing every little thing until he was lulled to sleep by the tender fingers in his hair. Tatsu watched him all the while still smiling, keeping his questions back until he was sure the boy was well and truly asleep.

"What did you find out?" Tatsu asked softly, glancing up briefly at Mr. Okita. "And don't give me any excuses. I know you've found out something." Mr. Okita's mask slipped, faded, fell until he looked the man square in the eye.

"The people that took Tetsu have been selling other children as bed slaves." He was careful to keep his voice low, toneless, distant. Tatsu felt a chill run down his spine and looked back to the sleeping form of his brother, feeling the chill spread and a lump clog in his throat. Bed slaves? Children being sold as bed slaves? Tetsu had been caught by-- He couldn't finish the thought as he felt the bile rise in his throat. Quickly he forced it down.

Okita watched all of this with a passive face, ignoring the slow burning anger in his stomach. Watching both brothers, one seeping in horrifying thoughts while the other slept on undisturbed, he felt the anger turn from a cool burning rage in his stomach to a fiercely burning lust for vengeance that spread throughout his body, crawling under his skin and making his palms itch for the chance to destroy these creatures that dared to call themselves human.

Standing in a soft rustle of loose fabric he stepped from the room and down the hall, footsteps nearly silent on the polished wood. To the soldiers he passed, he nodded in greeting, fixing his usual smile upon his face, hiding his rage behind the facade of childish enthusiasm and happy smiles. It was an act and they all knew it, but they returned his act with an act of their own, catching the signal that soon, oh so very soon, the Wolves of Mibu would be released from the gates that confined them and let loose upon a new prey that preyed upon the innocents. The hunt was on and the Wolves would hunt down their targets with relish.

* * *

Susumu felt a shudder race down his spine as he followed the stiff vice-commander down the silent hall. The man had yet to speak a word to him, moving silently, thoughts racing through his head and rage temporarily corraled just under the skin if the tightening in the man's shoulders was anything to go by. He had been sitting just outside the door, ready to report about the young child's burial when he heard Tetsu's exclamation of others. Tilting his head forward very slightly he could hear the vice commander's questioning of the others mentioned and the revelation of the bed slaves. His hunch that the building he was inspecting was an illegitimate brothel was, unfortunatly, confirmed by the boy's utterance. He only prayed that the broken conversation he had heard about loosing money on some brat that had gotten away meant nothing. 

"When Ichimura's fever breaks," he began, voice low and edged like the cutting edge of a sword. "You will take him with you that building to see if that's the one he was taken to,"

"Yes, sir," he said softly, following behind obediently.

"Take him under the cover of darkness and keep him quiet. Do not enter the building, just walk past it and make sure it's the right one,"

"Yes, sir,"

"If you see anyone, do not engage them. Once confirmed, return here and report,"

"Yes, sir,"

"And Yamazaki,"

"Sir?" Still as a statue, the vice-commander kept his back to him, spine streight, limbs coiled with tension, shoulders set. He was a grim, dark figure, and even more of a shadow them himself at the moment.

"Take down names," And then he was gone. Susumu had his orders so he waited for night fall, occupied that time with a careful cleaning of his weapons and slow bites of his dinner. He watched the sun set from the roof top, waited in the elongating shadows for the true twilight to fall, slipping into his uniform as silent as the wind. Pausing only briefly on the wall by Hijikata's room, he took off into the night, passing through the red light district into the shadows of the rundown portion where the offenders kept themselves. He slipped in through the open window once more and slipped carefully down the hall, passed the rooms where he could hear shifting and feel the board from their movement shift under his feet and into a small, dusty smelling room. That night, he strained his ears, thanking his sister's spirit for training him as she had and committed any names heard to memory.

Half way through, he slipped out once more, deeper into the building and took to a corner, careful to move to the deepest part of the shadows, keeping the firelight away from his body and any exposed metal upon it. He committed any and all faces to memory, not caring much about the names he had collected, just the faces. At the end of the night, just an hour away from the grey light of dawn that would peak over the buildings, he returned to head quarters and made his report to a wide awake vice-captain, moving soon to blend with the fading shadows and watch the wounded boy sleep. Waiting and wondering. At the first sign of dawn, he slipped from the room, placed his uniform and weapons away carefully and changed, settling down into a light slumber to rest for an hour or two before beginning again. Waiting was what he was good at after all.

* * *

A/N: Yeah! Updation finally! I think I have a clear way to go about this now. Sorry I've been so slow. I've been having other ideas racing throughout my mind lately and I've been entertaining those. Though now I hope I'll be able to get more done! Please review and let me know what you think! Thank you for reading! 


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Peacemaker is not mine. 

Chapter 7

And it appeared that he would have to wait patiently for a time longer then the week he had hoped for. Tetsu's fever, no matter how much of the medicine they forced down his throat, would not break. The temperature remained constant for a span of three days before he had to have someone, either his brother, Mr. Okita, one of the other men or Susumu himself watching over him, wiping the sweat from his brow, keeping track of his breathing and his pulse, waking him occasionally so they knew that he was still capable of consciousness and giving him sips of medicine, water, and soup.

Conversation was out of the question as they soon turned into muttered ramblings about one thing or another before the boy dropped off into slumber again. At night, his fever dreams worsened, his caretaker often being awoken by either pitiful screams and cries for his brother or parents, or the thrashing of his limbs as he fought off invisible attackers. Susumu had a roiling ball of tension in his gut as the fever's temperature only climbed over the next week or so instead of dropping like it should have.

"Perhaps we could try a cold bath to get his fever down," suggested the house keeper as she pressed a cool cloth to Tetsu's burning forehead.

"His injuries haven't healed enough for that," Susumu answered quietly, applying some of the herbal cream to one of the more vicious wounds. Tetsu didn't make a sound, eyes half lidded and cloudy from fever, half-aware, if that, of everything going on around him. The housekeeper held him gently, letting him lean against her, mopping the sweat from the boy's brow. Susumu's fingers were quick and gentle as they applied the cream and wrapped new bandages around the wounds, taking notes on the progression of the healing wounds. Unfortunately, the infection at the edges of the large gash on his side didn't look any better then it had a few hours before. But then again, it didn't look any worse either. Sighing silently, Susumu secured the last bandage and let the house keeper tuck Tetsu back in. The boy mumbled something incoherent before settling into another troubled sleep. Susumu wiped his fingers clean of any remaining cream, secured the lid on the jar of cream, placed it with the bandages nearby and stood, moving to the door to go and give his report to the vice-commander.

The same report that he had given for the past five days. The people that they suspected hadn't moved from the run down building they resided in though the whispers among the people there were escalating at a disconcerting rate. No new children, boys or girls, that he could see, had been brought into the building since he had started his surveillance, a weight seemingly leaving his shoulders as he thought of that one merciful blessing from above. As he approached the training room, he heard the usual sounds of men practicing, wooden swords cracking together, feet pounding and moving quickly on the wooden floor, the barely audible woosh of air from the long poles spinning through the air. From the corner of his eye as he passed into the open air part of the surrounding walkway, he saw the pole wielding men battling each other while someone watched close by so they didn't hurt themselves unnecessarily.

"Yamazaki," called the voice of the vice-commander from inside the large training room. All activity seemed to cease, each member there waiting to hear the report he would give. The vice-commander didn't cast them a single glance, not caring as they took a five minute breather to hear what he already knew.

"Nothing new to report, sir," he said. A tick started at the corner of Hijikata's left eyebrow, lips turning down into the beginnings of a severe scowl.

"And the boy?"

"His condition is the same. Not worse, but not better either," Hijikata nodded and motioned him away, activity resuming quickly with a greater edge of aggression to the men's movements as he left the area and made his way back to his room. He could understand their growing need for violence as no answers came, no mobilization orders were issued and whispers of certain unlawful acts began cropping up in the streets. They had not been ordered to look into the whispers but they were anyway, keeping track of how quickly it was spreading and who seemed to take more interest in them then others. From what he saw, the client numbers had not increased as the rumors had┘ yet. In his mind it was only a matter of time. He just had to be patient.

* * *

But his time had run out. The signs of moving day were upon the building and he estimated that it would be another week before preparations were completed and the degenerates and their captives were gone. Of course, they would leave at night, specifically the night of the new moon when there would hardly be any light to see by if had heard correctly and as he rushed across the roof tops on cat silent feet back towards head quarters, he ran through everything in his mind again. Tetsu's fever seemed to be on the decline, the infection on the large side wound gradually disappearing from the sutured edges and his sleep appeared less troubled. The degenerates, as he and others had taken to calling the perpetrators of the vile trade he was spying on, were planning on moving on the night of the new moon, spiriting themselves and their captives out of the city without anyone noticing. Or at least, without the Wolves of Mibu noticing. He suppressed a chuckle of morbid amusement and slipped over the wall of the Shinsengumi compound, moving lightly over the ground and up to the walkway in front of the vice-commander's room. There was a rustle of fabric before the door was slid open an inch, his single to report.

"They're planning on leaving on the night of the new moon, preparations are already under way, I'll check on the boy and report back," The door slid shut again and he was off, slipping like ink through the shadows, footsteps light and cautious against the wood, fingertips brushing against the door before sliding it open, slipping in, kneeling beside the boy, moving the dry cloth away and shifting his headband away to press the skin of his forehead against the boy's, silently cheering at the feeling of cooler skin before he was away again as the boy stirred and shifted in his sleep, mumbling faintly before settling again. As he knelt once more in front of the door, noting when it opened an inch, he thought he could feel the temper of the vice-commander in the very boards under his body, the tension trying to wind up his legs but he ignored it, his lips twitching up into a smirk as the soft words passed his lips.

"His fever is down," There was a pause before the door slid shut slowly, a feeling of satisfaction seeping out to him as he straightened and made his way to his room. He changed quickly, silently and moved back to the boy's room, nodding to Tatsunosuke as he replaced the cloth on his little brother's forehead and settled against the wall. There was silence as Tatsu settled against the opposite wall against, legs crossed and hands resting in his lap. He bowed his head as if he was going to sleep but looked up at him, eyes sharp.

"See how he's feeling tomorrow," he found himself saying with not a little satisfaction mixed with growing amounts of anticipation. Tatsu nodded once and settled back against the wall to sleep. Susumu watched for a moment longer, checking Tetsu's temperature again with his fingers against his cheek and nodded. Yes, tomorrow night, when all was silent, he would shroud the boy in black cloth, move as smoothly as he was able, duck into the little window in the storage room and show the boy what he could of the building before leaving quickly. He could almost hear Tetsu's voice mumbling that they were in right spot, that this was where they had taken him, could hear Hijikat's voice ordering him to get a good night sleep before he, Hijikata, Kondo and most likely Okita reported this to the area authority where they would receive orders to carry on and eliminate the offenders. Rolling his shoulders, Susumu nodded to himself and closed his eyes. Yes, that was how it would go. All he needed to do now was sleep and wait for the silence of night before he could confirm what he already knew.

And with that firmly in mind, he slept.

* * *

A/N: Oh... my... lord. I can't believe it took me this long to put this chapter up. I'm so sorry!! The only excuse that I can give is writer's block mixed with my work schedule mixed with not looking at this fic mixed with just plane not looking at this fic. Thank you all for being so patient and reviewing but most of all just being patient with me. Please, guys, I give you permission to yell at me constantly to update and I will try to as fast as I can. Also, please give me any ideas that you might have to improve this story and make it as good as you guys all think that it is. Thank you for being so patient all of you and thank you so very much for your support. I will try much harder to do better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Ja, for now!


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: It equals not being mine.

Chapter Eight

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, whatever IT was. He had woken up that morning still feeling like someone had packed his head in cotton, still cold, throat a little sore, body achy from the still healing injuries and was greeted with the sight of a very cheery house keeper mixing up a cup of that rat tea the doctor had prescribed and humming to herself under her breath. She had smiled when she noticed that he was awake, asked him how he felt, checked his wounds, changed the bandages, applied that cold cream that numbed the ache in his side a little, fed him the tea and soup and by that time he was feeling tired enough to close his eyes and go back to sleep for a few hours.

When he next woke up, it was to Tatsu quietly doing the book keeping beside him and Mr. Okita sitting outside playing with Saizo. Feeling like he shouldn't disturb the two, he took another nap. Waking in the evening he was again fed tea and soup, the bandages were changed and just as he was lying back down and fighting off another wave of sleep that he was sure the tea caused, the door slid open and admitted Mr. Kondo, Mr. Hijikata, Susumu and Mr. Okita. Tatsu helped him back up and let him lean back against him so that he could see them all but didn't say anything, which was very strange.

"How are you feeling today, Tetsu?" Mr. Okita asked, kind smile in place as usual and Saizo absent.

"Ok," he replied softly, raising a fist to rub the sleep from his eyes. Mr. Kondo reached over and pressed a sword calloused palm against his forehead, nodding a few moments later and meeting his curious gaze.

"We think we've found the men responsible for those who hurt you, Tetsu," he said. Tetsu blinked up at him, suddenly alert.

"You mean the ones who--"

"Yes, those," Hijikata interrupted and Tetsu got the distinct impression that exactly what those men were up to was not what they wanted to hear at the moment.

"If Yamazaki were to take you to where we think they are would you be able to identify the building?"

"Is he well enough for that?" Tatsu asked, making Hijikata and Kondo turn to him.

"He's going to have to be," Hijikata started. "We can't afford to lose any more time," The tension in the room seemed to climb a notch with that statement and Tatsu's reluctant grumble of agreement. Hijikata turned back to him and checked his temperature himself.

"They're moving on to somewhere else in four days. Yamazaki will take you with him tonight when he goes to the building in question. If you identify it as the one you escaped from then 

when you return, I'll leave here and report it. We've already sent word that there have been rumors of suspicious activity roaming the streets and with your confirmation and Souji's testimony, we'll be able to raid the building and stop them before they can get away," Kondo explained, glancing at Susumu who nodded in some signal or another.

"Are you feeling up to it, Tetsu?" Mr. Okita asked. His brow had furrowed at the mention of the building, pieces of conversations he had had before the fever had set in and robbed him of conscious thought floating back to him. On the tail end of those conversations he suddenly caught glimpses of his fever dreams, the bare week he had spent there, stuffed in a small room under ground with other half starved, trembling children of various ages and sizes. He heard from a very long way off the faint voices of the adults there, shouting, joking, prodding, grabbing, beating him when he refused to do what they wanted. The remembered pain brought back his escape and his hand moved to the healing gash on his side as he remembered. He had fought his way out of there, his small frame allowing him to move quickly and shimmy out of the basement, taking to the winding path of alleys in an attempt to get the hell away from that hell hole as quickly as he possibly could and making his way back towards head quarters. Yes, he knew what building they were talking about now.

"Tetsu?" Tatsu asked, drawing him from his thoughts. Blinking he raised his eyes and met Mr. Hijikata's gaze squarely.

"I can do it," he said, resolve firming his nerves and voice. Mr. Hijikata examined him for a long moment, even as he turned his gaze to Mr. Kondo and repeated the affirmation that he was feeling well enough to venture out with Susumu and confirm the building they were investigating. After a moment, Kondo smiled, eyes serious, and nodded once. Standing, he looked over to Yamazaki.

"Leave at the usual time and try to retrace Tetsu's path, just so he'll be sure,"

"Yes, sir,"

"Tetsu, rest until you and Yamazaki leave. Don't overdo it when you go out and be as quiet as possible,"

"Yes, sir,"

"I'll tell two of the men to prepare yours and Okita's horses," Mr. Hijikata said, standing as well. Mr. Kondo nodded, passed another reassuring smile to him and left, Hijikata pausing at the door to look over his shoulder again.

"Be careful," he said and then he was gone.

Clouds drifted slowly across the black velvet blanket of sky, lending deeper depth to the shadows they flitted through. Tetsu, legs crossed firmly around Susumu's waist, arms securely wrapped around the broad shoulders, poked Susumu's shoulder in accordance to whichever direction they needed to head in. Susumu moved slowly, carefully, as smoothly as possible so as not to jar the boy on his back and to give him enough time to think and remember which direction to go in. At every intersection he paused, letting Tetsu raise his head and look around and every intersection he wished the boy hadn't been hit on the head so hard so that they could move faster. An irritating realization had him nearly growling in annoyance. Typical, the boy had doubled back a few times to avoid his pursuers thus making them take a longer route to where he was hoping they were headed.

Another poke to his shoulder and they were moving again, winding from shadow to shadow down a long alley way, longer then all the others, taking the only turn at the end and passing a few more, Tetsu not signaling turns now until he nearly passed one. He turned left and came upon the back of a building. Glancing around, he waited for Tetsu's signal but the boy was still, arms tightening about his shoulders and legs winding more securely around his waist. Looking up at the building he felt a smirk begin to curl his lips, cold as a sword's edge and moved quickly to the shadow the large building cast as the clouds moved slowly away from the thin sliver of moon. Reaching back, he pulled the shroud lower over Tetsu, making sure the boy was completely hidden before moving slowly along the back of the building, pausing when Tetsu pointed to some spot along the bottom. Kneeling, he ran a hand lightly over the wood and felt what must have been a loose section.

"Got out here," Tetsu said, lips moving against his ear and voice just low enough that he could hear him perfectly but anyone else would have to strain to make out the words.

"There's a basement under here where they kept others," he continued. Leaning closer to the loose boards, Susumu focused all of his attention to his hearing, listening for some sign that the boy was right. They were still for a long few breaths before he heard it, the unmistakable sound of someone crying out in pain and someone laughing about it. The crying was distinctly that of a younger person, male or female he couldn't tell but as the laughing and crying grew louder he knew that Tetsu was right. There was something under this building that he had not thought of to check. Susumu nodded to himself, straightening in a crouch and moved quickly away from the loose boards, leaping lightly to a roof top facing the back of the building. Tetsu remained silent for a moment before he nodded quickly.

"You're sure?" he asked. Tetsu nodded again, a faint tremble entering his arms as he held on tighter. Susumu nodded once and they were moving through the shadowed alleys again, retracing Tetsu's path once more back to the grounds. Slipping over the back wall of the grounds, he slipped over to the waiting Kondo and Okita, catching Kondo's eye and nodding once. Kondo nodded in return and quickly mounted his horse, Okita following quickly. The two men holding the horses' reigns let go and stepped back and Susumu heard the shuffle of the horses' hooves upon the unpaved ground as they moved at a leisurely walk out of the grounds and out of the village. Moving quickly, Susumu took the boy back to his room, left him in the hands of his brother and the house keeper and went to make his report to Hijikata. He could feel the anticipation and lingering rage of the Vice-commander the closer he ventured towards the training room and felt his own wave of it sweep down his spine. Slipping into the darkest corner of the room, he watched the Vice-commander finish his form and straighten, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"The building has been confirmed, sir," he said. "Commander Kondo and Captain Okita have already left for the Bakufu and Tetsu is back in his room," Hijikata nodded slowly before walking over to where the wooden practice swords were held and set his with the others.

"Get some sleep, Yamazaki," said the Vice-commander. "You'll need it for tomorrow," Bowing, Susumu slipped from the room and back down the hall to his room, changing and settling in for bed. The hum remained in his veins as he stared up at the ceiling, going through the plan for tomorrow. He could see the looks on the men's faces when they realized what was to happen that night and felt an echo of their emotions within him. Not imagining that he would get any sleep that night with visions of tomorrow's plans and the approaching raid dancing circles through his mind, he lay on his back going over everything mentally until the beginning fingers of dawn touched his eyelids. Opening his eyes slowly, he let out a long breath and sat up. The countdown had begun.

* * *

A/N: I liiiiiiive!! I'm so, so sorry, guys, for taking so long with this chapter! I couldn't get my self motivated enough to work on it but here it is and I hope it's worth the wait. If not, I hope the next chapter will be up soon and it'll be awesome! Please tell me what you think and don't hold back ok? Whatever you want to tell me, tell me. I'll work harder and get the next chapter up as soon as I can ok? I promise!


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